Care to Explain
by Robin Red R
Summary: "Care to explain why the hell you are making out with /Richard Grayson/ the minute Robin's back is turned?" The team finds out Robin's secret I.D. in a rather surprising manner. Slash: Kid Flash/Robin – Wally/Dick. Pre-Invasion.
1. Prologue

**Title: **Care to explain?

**Rating: **T for language and suggestive themes (And because I'm still paranoid)

**Warning: **Birdflash, language, a teeny bit of violence… that's pretty much it. This is mostly humorous.

**Summary: ** "Care to explain why the hell you are making out with Richard Grayson (of all people) the minute Robin's back is turned?" The team finds out Robin's secret I.D. in a rather surprising manner. Slash: Kid Flash/Robin – Wally/Dick. (Pre-Invasion.)

**Author's Note: **Second fic up! (The "Why Are You…" doesn't really count as a fic, it's only 200 words). Hope you can guess whose point of view this is written in, I hoped to make it obvious. This is set sometime before Season 2, obviously. I did this in first person, because I need the practice. _Please tell me how I did, I need feedback on that!_ This will probably be three chapters.

**Disclaimer:** Obviously, I don't own Young Justice, or Season two would be very different…

Please **read, review, and enjoy **;)

**~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~**

_{Mount Justice, _

_October 3__rd__}_

Robin and Kid Flash are together. Like, _together-_together. An item. 'Course, they haven't told us yet, but it's pretty obvious. How do I know? Well, I think I started noticing sometime last year after I joined the team. I know they've been best friends for longer than any of the rest of us have known each other, but sometimes they just are… too intimate to be simply friends.

The way they act around each other. The little inside jokes, the nudges, the winks. I think it's incredibly cute, to tell you the truth. Not that I'd ever admit that but… whatever. Especially when Robin goes on about all his "whelmed" and "asterous" and all that crap that he blabbers about, Wally is always so overly excited about it. Honestly, I just think it's annoying. They always poke fun at each other, but they have this different tone of voice when they do it. It's softer and more playful. I know for a fact that when Wally argues with _me_ his voice sounds nothing like when he argues with Robin. And believe me, I have experience. I woke up early one morning after I had stayed over at the Mountain, and I found Robin in the kitchen making pancakes for Wally. Actually _cooking _for him, at like six in the morning. I mean, even the best of best friends don't specifically wake up early to cook each other's _breakfast. _I'm sad to say that Wally continues to flirt with M'gann and me, even Zatanna to an extent. I take special care to watch Robin each time he does it; there's this barely visible frown that appears on his face each time Wally does it. He never says anything, but the smiles turn fake for a little while. Until Wally turns his attention back to him, and then it's like the sun started shining again. Jealous much?

Then, the way they want to always be near each other. They always stand next to each other during mission assignments, so close their shoulders brush. They could be holding hands for all I know. Oh, I've tried to catch them at it, but I haven't quite succeeded yet. One of them is, after all, Robin the Boy Wonder. They're probably pretty careful about keeping it a secret. But hey, I'm a girl, and I live with them half of my life so I notice these things. Aqualad has all but given up trying to separate them when we go on missions, they just don't function right. Plus, Wally throws a hissy-fit, as I like to call it. Even when we're just relaxing at Mount Justice, they inevitably sit next to each other on the couch when we watch movies or play games. Once I even caught Robin lying down on the couch with his head _in Wally's lap_. Is that best friend behavior? Kinda stretching it, if you ask me.

And the last point on my checklist. The amount of _time _they spend together, alone. I don't know how many times it has happened that as I'm on my way out the mountain back home, they ask me if there's anyone left in the mountain and if so, where. I've asked M'gann about this too, and she told me they ask her the same thing. Then, when they find out they have the whole mountain to themselves, they get these identical cheshire grins on their faces and then run off somewhere. Suspicious. As if Robin couldn't just hack the security cameras and see for himself… it's as if he wants us to know. Another thing I've noticed is that whenever Robin _announces_ that he's going to go train, Kid's by his side in a flash, (no pun intended). See, if there was a guy _I_ liked I would totally follow him to watch him train. Because what's hotter than seeing your crush shirtless and sweating and doing flips off a bar? I think I'm going to have to follow them one day and see how much actual training happens in there. And of course, the nights that KF mysteriously disappears into Robin's room to "play video games". Yeah right. And in the morning they come out of the same room always in a very suspiciously good mood.

I can't say that I wasn't shocked at first. Wally always came across as so… straight. But I guess that's pretty understandable if he wants to cover it up. I don't have a problem with it, not at all. I mean, I'm pretty much turning into a fangirl by now, as embarrassing as it is to admit that. Anyway. M'gann and I have started a little fan club of our own. Zatanna's kind of caught on too, although she has a thing for Robin so it's not quite going over as well with her as with the rest of us. Now that I think about it, I think we've leaked to pretty much the whole team. I have a bet going with Roy that I'll catch them kissing one day, and M'gann has a similar one with Superboy. Kaldur really doesn't care, but I've tried to make a bet with him too. If only they knew that their secret was so not secret anymore! We're just adding more and more evidence because you can't deny that those two are more than just friends. One day we'll confront them ourselves if they don't own up to it soon.

Here's just one of many instances.

_~Flashback~_

_The scent of newly baked cookies wafts through the air. I'm sitting on the couch reading a magazine and listening to Robin and Kid Flash playing Call of Duty, and M'gann is obviously in the kitchen. Wally shoots up, abandoning the game, and is standing at the Martian's side in an instant. _

"_M'gann… You are the best!" I look over the top of my magazine to watch him snatch up a couple of the cookies and pop them into his mouth. I smirk; they're burnt badly but Wally devours them all the same. _

"_Oh no… They got burnt again!" M'gann stares dejectedly at her ruined plate of cookies, wringing her hands. I see Robin get up from the couch and pad over quietly. _

"_Hey, don't worry 'bout it M'gann. You've been getting better!" he reaches forward and pats her shoulder lightly. "You haven't burnt your cookies in quite a while," he elaborates. I snort quietly to myself. Yeah right. No offense to M'gann or anything, but pretty much all her batches have been burnt no matter how careful she is. My attention is regained immediately though when Wally carefully plucks Robin's hand off of M'gann's shoulder. He holds on to it for way longer than it should to take your friend's hand off of a girl's shoulder. Correction: _boyfriend's _hand. And the important point is that neither of them seem to notice it, as if it's just a normal thing for them. They don't blush or pull away… I see M'gann's gaze drop down to their joined hands, and Wally abruptly lets go. But I saw it! We both saw it. Ha. One more point to go on my list. _

"_If it makes you feel any better, I still love them no matter what," Wally says to her, winking, and earning himself a jab in the ribcage by the Boy Wonder. He then proceeded to pop another pair of the burnt cookies into his mouth while I shake my head slightly and return to my magazine. M'gann trotted over to me as Robin poked fun at Wally's dietary habits._

"_Did you see it?" she whispers to me and I nod quickly. _

"_How could I miss it?" We grin at each other knowingly. Then the green-skinned girl floated over to clean up the kitchen. I turn the page of my magazine, still smiling to myself. _

So definitively _together. _

**~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~**

**Author's Note: **This is just the prologue. The real action will start in the next chapter ;) Oh and it's Artemis, though I hope that's obvious. The whole thing will be in her point of view save for one small section that will skip to KF's. Thank you for reading! Please review if you have the time.

Thank you to the awesome theL3monTart for giving me the idea to make Artemis and M'gann fangirls XD


	2. Chapter 1: The Mission

**Care to Explain? - Chapter 1.**

**Note:** The conversations in italics are through M'gann's telepathic link. The ones in quotation marks are either through the comm link or normal dialogue.

**[Dear fellow Birdflash shippers:** Guess what I just noticed. If you go to the advanced search where you can specify two different characters, type in Wally and Dick. There are _46 pages (_more than a thousand) of fanfics (including all languages, ratings and genres). That's a _whole page more_ than there are Spitfires! What does this mean? Fics with Wally and Dick in them are the most commonly written about. ('Course this also includes just plain bro moments, but most of them are slash XD) That's more than Supermartian, more than Chalant, more than DickxBabs… more than everything. Unless I'm missing something but… So yes, this discovery has made me very happy. We shall never let this ship die! Sorry, nothing to do with my story but just wanted to share that hehe.**]**

**Author's Note: **Thank you guys so much for all the awesome reviews! Wow, I never expected so many alerts. It made me feel all happy and bubbly. I finished this early just for you XD I hope you like this chapter ^^

_It's still in Artemis's point of view, but it'll switch to KF about half way through._

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own anything but the plot…

Don't forget to review!

**:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~**

_{Litchfield County, _**[1]**

_October 3__rd__, 14:00 EDT}_

"Kid Flash, you're needed on a mission. Can you meet up with us within the next few minutes?" Kaldur says curtly, a finger pressed to his comm link. We're in the bioship heading for Gotham City, and we're trying to contact a certain stubborn redhead.

"Aw common guys, it's a weeknight. Can't this wait?" comes the retort. Before Aqualad can reply, I decide to step in and finish this quickly.

"No it can't wait, Kid Lazy. Put your costume on and get your ass over here."

"I have a giant history paper due tomorrow, Arty! Seven pages _minimum_, single spaced. You heard me correctly right? A seven page _history _paper! For _tomorrow!_"

"Which it will take you only a few minutes to write, being the cheating speedster that you are," I finish for him. I hear the growl on the other side of the line, and smirk to myself. He doesn't have any excuses now.

"Kid Flash, we've nearly reached our destination. We will need your help." Aqualad adds. I feel a slight pressure behind my eyes and then M'gann's voice reverberates in my head.

_Everyone linked up? _She asks.

_Yes, other than Kid, _I reply snarkily. Aqualad nods in acquiescence to both of our comments.

_Putting bioship into camouflage mode, _the Martian announces.

I hear a sigh on the other side of the comm link. "You guys are doing the telepathic thing, right? That's why you all shut up?" he asks. No one answers, because it's kind of a rhetorical question. "Okay _fiiine_, I'll come, if you insist." He drags out the word reluctantly. "Wait a minute, where's Rob?" I smirk to myself at the use of the nickname, and glance over at M'gann who returns it. Wally must have noticed the fact that Robin didn't participate in our conversation. Funny how he notices _Robin's_ absence, but not Zatanna's or Superboy's.

"Robin's busy, doing something with Batman, I think," M'gann answers. "He told us he couldn't join us in this mission. Superman offered to help Connor develop his powers this afternoon, so there's no way we were going to stop _that _happening, and Zatanna is unavailable, we're not sure why. She said she'll meet up with us once she finishes something. So it's only me, Artemis and Aqualad on the mission," M'gann explains.

"Which is exactly why we need you," I add.

"Shut up, Artemis, I already told you I was coming. Where exactly are you?" I hear a rustling sound that could be him putting his costume on.

"We're heading for Gotham Academy. Looks like there's this psychopath metahuman who seems to take a fancy to tormenting kids—"

"Wait, wait, you said _Gotham Academy?" _he barks, cutting me off. I frown. Wally's voice sounds rather panicked all of a sudden.

"Uh, yeah. It's in the middle of Gotham, you know, Robin and Batman's town. Big building, pretty visible, especially because it's currently on fire—" I stop talking because the click in my ear tells me he's broken the connection. I don't have time to be confused though, because M'gann is lowering the Bioship down on a nearby roof. We quickly jump out of the newly made door and I sling by bow from my shoulder and notch an arrow, ready to shoot if anything happens.

_Sending our coordinates to Kid Flash, _Aqualad announces. No sooner have the words left his mouth, I mean, _thoughts _left his _mind, _we hear a whooshing sound and the smack of air as some heavy body is thrust through it at the speed of sound. I blink in surprise to see Wally skid to a stop in front of us, slightly out of breath.

_{Gotham City,_

_October 3__rd__, 14:07 EDT}_

"Uh, weren't you _just _in Central?" I ask, narrowing my eyes at him. He's looking over the edge of the roof down at the school. The fire is reflected in his eyes so I can't read his expression, but he's definitively not acting normal.

"Yeah. I'm a speedster, remember?" he snaps back. I don't deign that with an answer. Sure he's a speedster, but he just got here in less than a minute. Impressive, even for him. How did he even know exactly where Gotham Academy is? My heart starts beating faster. Does he know… about me? That I don't actually live in Star City with Green Arrow? How else would he get here so fast? It doesn't make sense.

I don't have time to dwell on that, though. We crowd to the edge of the roof and survey the scene. The 'psychopath metahuman who seems to take a fancy to tormenting kids' is actually an android, as far as I can tell. It's about as tall as the school, made out of a dark, ugly, red metal. It has a thick body with two long arms, making it look rather apish. In one of its 'hands' is a huge gun, easily the size of a bus. As we watch, it aims at one of the school's windows and shoots, blowing up the side of the wall. I wince; there goes Classroom 318.

_Plan? _Kid Flash asks through our telepathic link. He's looking serious, and I can tell he's scanning the area. It looks like he's searching for something.

_We need to figure out its powers. Then we can find its weaknesses. Then we defeat it, _Aqualad answers, and the speedster dashes in front of the robot. I sigh. That was not the plan- that was the precursor to the plan. Kid Idiot doesn't get that though.

"Hey big guy, over here! Kid Flash, at your service!" he yells up loudly. "Let's see how fast you can actually shoot that thing," and there he goes dashing off and dodging bullets. I sigh again. Oh so professional. Aqualad drops from the roof presumably to sneak up and take the robot by surprise. I turn and look for the students. It's just past two o'clock, so school isn't out yet. The reason I wasn't there with them is because I have a half day today. Lucky for the team, or they would be doomed. I see a stream of kids being shepherded out of the emergency exit into the parking lot, and they all look pretty terrified.

_Someone go help the civilians, _I announce before jumping down from the roof onto a balcony and from there onto the ground. I would do it myself, but I can't risk the chance of being recognized. There's too much at stake.

_Got it! _Kid Flash yells, promptly abandoning his role as distraction and speeding off to the students. The robot stop shooting uselessly at the yellow blur and notices Aqualad before the Atlantian can attack. Things just get worse from there.

The robot is made of some kind of thick, strong metal. It barely leaves a dent even when Aqualad swings at it with full force. This makes it really slow, but that's not necessarily a disadvantage we can use. It's too squat and sturdy to fall over so Kid Flash's running circles around it to create a mini-hurricane doesn't help. M'gann can't read its mind or attempt to break its defenses that way, so the only thing she can do is throw slabs of concrete at it which doesn't affect it much at all. And my arrows barely do any damage: the explosive ones don't hurt it any more than Aqualad's hits and my knock-out gas and foam ones are pretty much useless against a machine.

_What does it want? _I ask in frustration, not really expecting an answer. Up until now, it has been mostly ignoring our attacks and has continued to blow up the school and the surrounding buildings. I hope no one that I know is getting hurt… I shoot another explosive arrow at its gun, but that doesn't help our case. The gun is made out of the same kind of metal as the rest of it so it's barely damaged.

_We need Rob here… He could just hack the thing or something, _comes Kid Flash's voice. I can't help but agree; without Robin, Zatanna or Superboy, there doesn't seem to be much we can do.

Suddenly the robot takes a swing at Aqualad- the first time it initiates an attack. But then I look closer and my heart skips a beat. It's not actually attacking; instead it is reaching for the huddled group of kids that are waiting for help in the parking lot.

_Kid Idiot! You're supposed to be protecting them! _I yell. It's too late though. The android grabs a kid and holds him out high above our heads in an iron grip. I can't shoot any arrows now for fear of hitting the kid. M'gann's eyes are glowing green, and I know she's trying to force the robot to let go with her telekinesis. It's hopeless though. Suddenly a flash of pure horror and pain goes through us all from the mind link. M'gann gasps and holds her head, but it's not coming from her. Wally is staring up at the robot with wide eyes and his mouth open in a silent gasp of shock. He speeds over to us, fear rolling off of him in waves. I don't need the mental link to see that.

"We've got to do something! Something, anything! He could get hurt! He could fall! _He-could-die!_" his voice is rising quickly, and he's vibrating in place, slipping into normal dialogue instead of using the mind-link. He starts blabbering at superspeed and I tune him out.

_What do you think we've been doing the last fifteen minutes? _I snap. _We need another plan, this is not working. _Kid Idiot's fear is starting to affect us all. I wonder vaguely why he's acting like this but my thoughts are cut short as the robot's metallic voice booms out above us.

"Stop. Make any kind of move and I shoot the boy." We freeze and look up to see it holding the giant gun to the kid's head. I wince. If it shoots, there won't even be pulp left of the boy.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

_{Gotham City,_

_October 3__rd__, 14:22 EDT}_

It feels like my heart is beating a mile a minute. Actually, maybe it's true. My heart-rate is much faster than a normal human's anyway, and right now, with fear coursing through my veins, it feels like it's going to leap out of my chest.

That's Dick. That's _his_ limp body hanging six stories high in the sky, dangling over just air with nothing to stop his fall if he is dropped, not to mention the giant gun a foot from his face. Each bullet is probably half the size of his head. That's also Robin, but no one here save for me knows that. Normally, I wouldn't worry; Robin is more than capable of getting out of that kind of a grip. With his computer, his smoke pellets, his birdarangs and his grappling hook, he should be fine. Except, right now, he's Dick Grayson. And he doesn't have his computer, his smoke pellets, his birdarangs or his grappling hook.

Realizing that fact makes my head clear somewhat. Sometimes, even the Boy Wonder needs a hero to save him. And right now, it's my job to save this kid. Believe me, when Kid Flash gets determined, there's nothing and no one that's going to stand in his way. Besides, it's my fault he got caught. Artemis was right; I was supposed to be protecting the civilians. I'll save him, my little bird. Now… I just need a plan.

I close my eyes and think. Our superpowers are pretty useless against him, that much is clear. But… there has to be a way. What would Dick say? What would _Robin_ say? I focus on why our powers are useless. Maybe that's the key. It's because it's a _machine_. M'gann's powers don't work because she can't control its mind. Aqualad's and my powers don't work because it's made of an invincible metal. Artemis's arrows can't defeat it unless she somehow gets past the outer shell. Unless she gets past… Hmm.

This whole thought process has taken only a few seconds in real time, so the team hasn't even budged. But I think I'm on to something…

_Guys… listen. I think I might have an idea, _I start, being careful to keep my lingering panic at bay. Dick needs me to be strong now… I cast a glance up to where he is still hanging. If the robot gets impatient and decides to shoot, or he drops him from that height… well I don't want to dwell on that thought.

_Please, Wally, share, _Kaldur says, looking at me. I realize that I had trailed off while staring at Dick.

_Uh… right. We've got to somehow get past its metal covering to the inner mechanism. It's just a machine, so I'm sure we can break it if we get a hand on those wires. There's got to be a weak point somewhere on it, like at the joint. See how it moves its head? If we can somehow get through there… we might have a chance. _Yeah, not much of a plan. But it's all I've got right now.

_In case you hadn't noticed, it's holding up a little kid with a gun pointed to his head, _comes Artemis's voice and I wince, as the sarcasm is palpable. _I seem to recall it telling us _not to move _or it shoots. _

I sigh, but Aqualad seems to have an idea instead. He turns to the green-skinned girl standing next to me.

_M'gann, fly up to the robot in camouflage mode and check if you see any weakness in the metal of the neck joint, _he supplies. She nods, and our plan is under way. First, we make sure the robot doesn't have heat vision, which would blow M'gann's camouflage part. As it turns out, it's pretty much blind. It only sees things when they're moving. Sounds like a pretty bad design to me.

It doesn't take long for M'gann to fly up and sneak behind it, barely visible. She examines the design carefully, but comes back looking confused.

_There are screws and things holding the metal plates together, but I don't know where the weak points would be, _she tells us. Suddenly my vision sways, turns black, and then I'm inside M'gann's head with the rest of the team. She shows us a mental picture of the back of the robot's neck.

We all scrutinize the picture. I am by no means an engineer, but I know my way around physics. And that means includes forces. _Right there, _I say, pointing mentally to a little cross section of screws. _If we can hit right there, it should blow the head off its body, or at least weaken the outer structure. _I try to sound confident, even though I have no idea if what I'm saying is true or plain crap. Hey, it's not like we have any other way out of here. Dick is still hanging there more than fifty feet in the air.

_Artemis? _I prod, and for once my voice isn't teasing or making fun of her. She looks at me in surprise.

_I'm supposed to shoot the arrow? _We nod at her, and I don't say the cutting remark that's on the tip of my tongue about how she's the only archer in the team. I feel a flash of insecurity coming from her before M'gann shuts it out from the rest of us. I can understand though; the life of that kid rests in her hands now. If she misses, either the robot shoots Dick like it threatened to do earlier, or the explosion from her arrow hurts him directly or… I take a deep breath shaking off the terror. She won't miss. She's Artemis, she's the best flipping archer in the world. (Besides Roy and Green Arrow, maybe).

Aqualad takes charge, his calm demeanor giving us strength. _I will distract it. Artemis, when it turns its head, shoot the explosive arrow. M'gann and the rest of us will disable it as soon as it is down. Kid Flash—_

_I'll catch the boy, _I say sharply, cutting Kaldur off. The team turns to look at me with an odd expression, but we have no time to lose. Time to put this plan into action…

The explosion rattles my eardrums. Suddenly, in place of the robot, there is a giant ball of flame. I notice the string of Artemis's bow still vibrating from the shot in my peripheral vision, but I don't focus on that. Instead, I lunge forward towards the flames. _Dick._

There are some advantages to being a speedster. One of those things is that I can slow down time, in a way. When I'm in the adrenaline rush, my brain goes into overdrive, processing everything a hundred times faster than a normal human, ten times faster than when I'm just relaxed. Every millisecond becomes a second. Voices are warped. I fly through an almost frozen world, time running in slow motion. This was one of those times.

I rush into the explosion. I hadn't expected it to be so big, so disastrous. Apparently, we really had hit the 'nerve' that just crumpled the whole outer casing. I don't feel any pride, though, in being the one that figured out how to destroy the robot. Because there is something really wrong. The robot wasn't supposed to _blow up _while Dick was still in that inferno.

I see him then: a little flash of black falling through the thick smoke. Falling fast. I spur my feet forward, seeing Dick's body come closer and closer to the ground, as I come closer and closer to intercepting him. Too slow… too slow… I'm not going to reach him in time… Ten feet… Five feet, four feet, three feet… and I fling myself out underneath him, his body landing squarely on mine as I break his fall. From the momentum of my lunge, I skid a good ten feet across the concrete of the parking lot, my costume and my whole back shredding in the process. I gasp out in pain, my back feeling like it is on fire. But I smile in relief despite that: Dick is lying on top of me, panting loudly, but he is okay. I had saved him.

**~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~**

**[1] That actually appears in the show… it's a county in Connecticut and it appeared in the episode "Schooled". Yeah, hard core fan here: I just wasted half an hour searching through all the places from the show between Gotham and Happy Harbor that I could use XD**

**Author's note: **Well this is sad… I can write fluff better than I can write a good old action scene DX Please, if you have any tips or critiques for the pacing and description of the action scenes, please share. Anyway, thanks for reading, and thanks for all the support so far! The last chapter (And the best one, in my opinion) will be up soon…

**Please guys, the more reviews there are, the faster I'll update XD**


	3. Chapter 2: Secret Identities

**Care to Explain? - Chapter 2.**

**Author's Note: **The first part is in KF's point of view, continuing off from the end of Chapter 1. The second half is back to Artemis.

Again, thank you so much for all the support! 18 reviews… wow! I really never expected that. I'm glad you guys like the story so much. It makes me feel all hyper and bubbly inside when I look at my messages ^^

**Disclaimer:** No matter how many times I ask him, Bart tells me I still don't own Young Justice, even in the future… Dang it.

Don't forget to review!

**:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~**

_{Gotham City,_

_October 3__rd__, 14:45 EDT}_

I groan, pushing Dick carefully off of my stomach, even though I wouldn't mind his light weight at all under other circumstances. My back feels like it is on fire, and I can feel the trickles of blood running down my legs. Dick stands up shakily, coughing slightly from the smoke, but he looks otherwise unscathed. A bit burned, perhaps, but nothing major. I sigh in relief. He extends a hand, pulling me up. I wince and bite my lip to stop the gasp of pain.

"Thanks… Wally," Dick whispers softly, leaning in close so I can feel his breath on my cheek. "I seriously thought I was going to go 'splat' on the pavement for a second there." He grabs hold of my hand and squeezes it. I look down into his gorgeous blue eyes, and I want to kiss the living daylights out of him. Because he nearly _died, _and I was so scared, and he looks so adorable right now when he's blinking in honest gratitude.

"W-what can I say, I'm the man," I reply with a feeble attempt at my usual banter. But I can't, I can't kiss him. Right now I'm the Kid Flash, and Kid Flash doesn't know Richard Grayson. Besides, the whole team is standing right there, dismantling the robot. "I couldn't let my little birdie fall, could I?" I grin at Dick and he leans up to press a swift kiss to the corner of my mouth, dropping my hand at the same time. Darn these mixed signals… He can be such a tease when he wants to. I blush and he smirks at my embarrassment. We're officially boyfriends now, and have been for a while, but I'm still not so comfortable with showing it in public. Besides, I don't want to have to explain to the team why Richard Grayson is kissing me.

Pushing that thought aside, I decide to get back at him so I scoop him up bridal style, smiling at his little yelp of surprise. God, how I love all those little sounds he makes, even in a situation like this. I almost drop him again as a searing pain runs down my back, but I grit my teeth and ignore it. It's just a flesh wound and it'll heal in a little bit, so I don't need to worry. I run over to the team, savoring the warmth of Dick's body as it is pressed up against mine. He wriggles in my arms until I put him down, and brushes off his wrinkled uniform before turning to the team.

"Are you okay?" M'gann asks concernedly, running over to us both. I don't know to whom the question is directed too, so I answer for us both.

"'Course, we're fine, don't worry. Is the robot dead?"

"First of all, robots can't be _dead, _they're machines," comes Artemis's rough voice and I roll my eyes in exasperation. She just can't give it a rest, can she?

"Yes, it has been destroyed to the best of our capabilities," Kaldur tells me, walking over and dusting his hands off.

I look over at the blonde archer suddenly. It just occurred to me that it was kind of _her_ arrow that saved Dick, that saved us all. I bite my lip, trying to find the right words to say. I decide to just go with the easy way out, because I've never been good with words.

"Thanks, Artemis," I say quietly, sounding very out of character. I hope she understands how much this means to me from the tone of my voice, even if she doesn't understand why. She gives me a skeptical look but then nods slightly. Dick steps up in front of me to fill the awkward silence.

"Richard Grayson," he says, extending his arm to shake hands with M'gann, Artemis and Kaldur. "Thank you for rescuing me, heroes. I appreciate it. I guess this means I'm in your debt, right, for saving my life? I'm sure the Young Justice League could benefit from a few custom-made _Wayne Tech_ items."

I almost snort. That is such a rich-kid-businessman-to-be attitude, and he plays it perfectly. The team all ogles him. Artemis looks shocked, M'gann is clasping her hands in disbelief, and even Kaldur looks mildly surprised.

"You're Richard Grayson? Wow… I've seen you on TV! I've always wanted to meet a billionaire," M'gann gushes out. I roll my eyes again. Girls… I'll never understand them. Dick just smiles at her charmingly.

"Y-you're… oh, of course you are. I didn't recognize you before," Artemis says, looking flustered. I glare at her suspiciously. How does she know Dick?

"Oh, Artemis Crock, right? Guess this explains why you weren't in school today," Dick says cheekily.

"Hey! I have a half-day today. I don't miss school if I can help it— Wait a minute!" she freezes, staring at Dick and then at the rest of the team. The black haired boy snickers to himself.

"Oopsies, secret identities. My bad." He covers his mouth with his hand but I can see his eyes twinkling in mischief. You wouldn't believe this was the same boy that nearly fell to his death just a few minutes ago. "Well, it's not like you're the master of disguise or anything. You could at least, you know, change your name. Or wear a more concealing costume. Or change your hairstyle. Or _something_," he gestures towards the flustered blonde. My mind finally catches up to what he's saying. _What?_ Artemis goes to Gotham Academy? Well what happened to Star City? I _knew _there was something fishy about this whole thing. I'm still feeling goodwill towards her, though, for helping me save my little bird, so I keep my thoughts to myself. I'll bug her about this later.

"You go to school here? That's so cool!" M'gann says, looking around her at the partially demolished school. Artemis just glares at Dick awkwardly.

"I think it's time we got going…" Aqualad steps in, giving Artemis and Dick a weird look. "Miss Martian, get the bio ship ready to head back to Mou—" he cuts off, realizing Dick was still there. "To head back to the base. I'll inform the Justice League and put out the fire. Artemis and Kid Flash, take care of the civilians and make sure no one is injured."

"Yes sir," I pretend to salute him, even though I've completely forgotten what his order was. Right now I have other priorities on my mind… I turn back to Dick, ignoring Artemis. "So… about those custom-made Wayne Tech items?" I say, grinning as I grab his arm and tug him away from the rest of them.

:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

_{Gotham City,_

_October 3__rd__, 15:00 EDT}_

I glare at Wally's receding figure. Guess it's up to me to take care of the civilians alone. I shift the bow on my shoulder into a more comfortable position and fiddle with a damaged arrow, trying not to pretend it's just an excuse to drag this moment out. If _Richard Grayson_ figured out who I am, how many of my classmates will too? The kid isn't even in my grade… I shake my head and make my way over to the group of students still waiting in the parking lot. A few teachers are trying in vain to maintain order in the chaos.

A few kids spot me approaching and I hear murmurs passing over the crowd in waves. Great.

"Who is she?"

"Isn't she Green Arrow's sidekick?"

"Did you see her shoot that arrow? That was _so cool_!"

"No, _Speedy_ is Green Arrow's sidekick."

"Hey sugar! Nice moves you got there."

"Speedy went solo though, didn't he?"

"Who is she then?"

Ugh. I _so_ do not want to deal with a bunch of snooty rich kids who might recognize me any second now.

"No, I know who she is! It's 'Artemis'," a boy's voice stands out from the rest. My eyes widen and I look to see a little blond freshman pointing at me. "Artemis is Green Arrow's _new_ sidekick," he explains as a few people turn to look at him. I fake-cough to get their attention, because I don't want this conversation going any further.

"Alright. Is anyone here injured?" I call out, getting straight to the point. They murmur amongst themselves as I search the crowd. My eyes fall on the curly blond hair of Bette. She's staring at me with wide eyes and her mouth half open. Yeah, looks like my secret is out of the bag for at least one other person. My voice is, after all, pretty recognizable.

I turn to the teachers because the kids are still talking about me and ignoring my question. "Is anyone injured?" I repeat. A tall man near me shakes his head, smiling warmly at me. I think he's the football coach or something.

"We've got it under control, don't worry. Thanks for getting here so quickly and dealing with the… whatever it was," he says. I just dip my head to him. I don't want to interact with any of them more than I need to. I glance over the crowd once more then turn to leave. As I'm passing the corner into the front courtyard, I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn quickly, looking with surprise into Bette's blue eyes. She looks confused but determined.

"Artemis?" she probes softly, her voice rising up at the end in a question. I debate whether to lie, but I doubt it's worth it. Bette is pretty observant, and she wouldn't let this go easily.

"You can't tell anyone," I whisper to her, glancing around to make sure we're alone. At my words she relaxes visibly, grinning at me.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. By the way, that was some pretty badass fighting," she says, looking at me with a kind of awe. I shrug uncomfortably.

"Yeah, thanks. I'll, uh, see you tomorrow," I say waving a quick goodbye, before hurrying off. I feel bad for ditching her like that, but I don't want to risk being seen with her.

I notice the Bioship hovering over to my left so I trot over there. M'gann walks out and looks around.

"Where is everyone else?" she asks and I half-shrug.

"Kid Flash was _supposed _to be helping me but he ran off with the billionaire's son. I don't know where Kaldur disappeared to; I think he's talking with the policemen." M'gann frowns. Her eyes unfocus and she reaches a hand up unconsciously to her head. A slight frown crosses her face but she seems to shake it off.

"I know where Wally is," she says, heading towards the gym. She must have used her mental link with the speedster to locate him. Her expression is still a bit consternated, though.

"Is something wrong?" I query, walking faster to catch up to her.

"No, not really. I was just getting some… odd emotions from him," she replies. I don't even want to know what that means. I walk ahead of M'gann, turning the corner into the alleyway that runs between the gym and the rest of the school building. It's dark there, but plenty bright enough to see the sight in front of me without a problem.

I freeze, one foot still in the air. Wally has the Grayson kid up against the wall, and it looks like he's ravaging his mouth. Richard has his arms looped around Wally's bare neck, pulling him closer, while the redhead pins his hips to the wall of the gym. He's got one knee suggestively in between the smaller boy's legs. A soft moan from one of them carries across the still air to my ears. Well… now I understand what those 'odd emotions' were that M'gann was receiving.

M'gann almost runs into me from behind.

"What's wro—" she breaks off as she turns the corner and sees for herself. Wally must have heard her voice because he leaps away, his eyes widening as he catches sight of the two of us. His face flushes a bright crimson in matter of seconds.

Anger flares up at me as I glance from him to Richard and back.

"What's this?" I growl quietly, advancing towards the speedster. He takes an involuntary step back, looking like a cornered animal, and doesn't answer.

"Care to explain why the hell you are making out with _Richard Grayson_?" I say slowly, pointing a finger accusingly into his chest.

"What's it to you?" he says regaining use of his vocal chords. His voice is mixture of defiance, anger and a touch of fear.

"_What's it to me_?" I repeat, shooting M'gann an incredulous look. "Start talking. What do you think you're doing with Grayson?" I jab my finger into his chest again. That seems to set him off, because he swats my hand away, green eyes blazing with anger.

"Sheesh, Artemis! I never knew you were such a homophobe," he retorts. That throws me off. I almost laugh at how he's misunderstanding my anger.

"What? That—no, I don't care about _that!_"

"Well, then what's your problem?" He crosses his arms in front of his chest.

"Let me rephrase: Care to explain why the hell you are making out with Richard Grayson the minute _Robin's _back is turned?" I say, stepping closer to him again. His eyes fly wide open, and he looks over my shoulder at Grayson helplessly.

"Who's Robin?" I hear the other boy pipe up innocently. Wally's helpless expression turns into wide-eyed disbelief as he glares at Richard, which confuses me. I turn my attention to him too for the moment. He's leaning against the wall where Wally left him, arms crossed lazily over his chest. His blue tie matches his eyes, complimenting his black hair and suit. His Gotham uniform hugs his body in all the right places, showing off his lean build. He's watching us with a tilt to his head, and his eyes look even brighter blue in the half-darkness of where he's standing. Hmm, well, I can't say that Wally doesn't have good taste. The boy _is_ pretty good looking… except for the fact that he's eleven or something.

"W-what does Robin have anything to do with anything?" Wally replies, looking like a cornered cat again.

"Oh don't you give me that innocent crap. We all know about you two, right M'gann? It's no secret: you and Robin are _together._ So, now I'll say it one more time: Why the hell are you making ou—"

"Shut _up, _Artemis!" he almost snarls. I've never seen him look this disturbed and angry at the same time. "You realize he almost got killed right?" he continues, waving his arms around wildly to prove his point. "What kind of a boyfriend would I be, if I didn't make sure he was okay?"

Silence envelops us. Wally has a 'fuck you' expression on his face which quickly turns into an 'oh crap' when he realizes what he said.

"Boyfriend?" M'gann and I repeat at the same time. Wally tugs at his hair and turns to the wall.

"_Diiick_, a little help here," he mumbles to himself but we all hear him.

I walk over to Grayson and pat his shoulder. "Hate to break it to you kiddo, but you better dump Wally right away. There's a certain _Boy Wonder_ in his life that you probably didn't know about," I tell him. "How old are you? Like, eleven? Wally, stop corrupting little kids, that's just wrong."

"Excuse me? I'm fourteen," Grayson says half to himself, shrugging off my hand. I turn and look at him in surprise. It sounded like… he was on the verge of cracking up, instead of breaking down like I would expect. His face looks blank, though, when I stare at him.

"Wally, why would you do that? Why would you cheat on Robin?" M'gann says, walking up to the redhead.

"Or cheat on Grayson, whichever came first," I add. I hear a snort of barely stifled laughter next to me and look in consternation at the ebony-haired boy. He's holding his sides and doubling over as silent laughter racks his body. I look up at M'gann for help, but instead I meet Wally's green eyes as he smiles softly… lovingly at Richard. That's the same look I've seen on his face countless times when Robin does something funny. The redhead walks over and offers a shoulder for him to lean on as he laughs.

"Okay… okay that's it," Richard gasps out, still laughing. "You guys…"

M'gann floats over to me. "Why is he laughing? In all the shows… when someone finds out their boyfriend cheated on them they get angry or start crying, they don't start laughing…" she trails off. I just shrug at her in confusion, not knowing any more than she does.

"Um… are we missing something here?" I ask, looking at the two of them. I hear the tap of bare feet on the pavement as Kaldur rounds the corner.

"Oh there you are. Team regroup at the bioship—" his sentence dies out as he frowns upon the scene. M'gann and I are standing awkwardly in front of Wally who's cuddling a billionaire's son who is laughing his head off. Would be pretty funny to see, if any of us actually knew what was going on.

Suddenly the ground shakes as Superboy seems to drop from the sky in one of his bounds. He's carrying Zatanna.

"Good, my locator spell worked! Put me down, please, Superboy."

"Great… now they're _all _here. Dick, seriously?" I hear Wally's voice whine behind me.

Zatanna runs up to me immediately. Her eyes widen as she sees Wally and Grayson.

"Um… what's going on here?" she asks, looking at all of us in turn.

"Wish I knew…" I mumble.

"We caught Wally kissing Richard Grayson, and he called him his boyfriend, which means he's cheating on Robin, and when we asked him about it… _that_ happened," M'gann says pointing to the two, her confusion evident in her voice. We turn back to the younger boy as his giggles die down. He stands up straighter and eyes us, a smirk on his face. I narrow my eyes… something about that smirk looks awfully familiar. I try to remember where I've seen it before.

"Well… how about I go get what I was trying to get before Wally pinned me to the wall," he declares, starting to walk down the alleyway. "That might clear some things up." Even his voice sounds different all of a sudden.

"Dick, you can't!" Wally exclaims, grabbing at his hand. Grayson shrugs him off and whispers something I don't catch. We watch as he pushes open a side door and disappears into the darkened gym. There is a silence that could only be described as awkward.

"What did he say?" M'gann asks of Superboy; he does have super-hearing after all. Connor frowns and looks at Wally.

"Uh… Wally said… 'Batman will kill us' and the other one said—"

"Okaaaay we don't need to know," Wally cuts him off, speeding over and slapping a hand over Connor's mouth. He is punched in the gut for that, but we can't question Superboy further. Because… someone is walking out of the shadows towards us. And it's someone we all know very well.

His cape swishes in the non-existent wind as he almost struts towards us. His face has that all too familiar smirk on it, except now his twinkling eyes are hidden by a black mask. His hair is still gelled back and looks unfamiliar, but that's the only thing different from the boy we all know. He steps into the light and all our eyes fall simultaneously to the yellow 'R' insignia on his chest.

He and Wally exchange a glance, and then they start cracking up again. I can imagine why; the entire team is standing there looking shell-shocked. I, for one, am pretty sure my jaw just dropped, literally.

I guess… I guess it makes sense once you think about it. Robin… is Richard Grayson… I know quite a bit about him, going to school here in Gotham as it is. Grayson was an acrobat in a circus I think, which would explain his incredible agility. Plus, it's obvious he's rich from the looks of Robin's gadgets. But still… of _all people _that Robin could be, he is the snooty rich kid, son of the most famous billionaire in the country? And he _goes to my school _and I never suspected a thing?

"Dude, take a picture. That is the most hilarious thing I have ever seen," Wally exclaims, pointing to us. That comment seems to snap us out of our trance.

"Oh my gosh…" breathes Zatanna next to me.

"Robin? How... what…?" M'gann.

"Well… that does explain a lot." Kaldur.

"Um, am I supposed to know who Richard Grayson is?" Connor.

"Crap." Me.

That just sets the two of them laughing again. Wally walks up to me and jabs a finger into my chest like I did to him a few minutes ago.

"Is _this _explanation enough for you? I wouldn't ever cheat on Robin, or Dick," he tells me. I look away, trying not to feel embarrassed. In a way, I think I knew. Sure, Wally is a total flirt, but he seems like the loyal type. As hypocritical as that is, it's just the vibes I get from him. That's why I was so shocked to see him with Richard, because it never once crossed my mind that he could cheat on his best friend-become-boyfriend. I bite my lip. Ugh, it's all so evident now. Robin and Grayson both live in Gotham, they're both super rich, they both have black hair and are short, and they both are Wally's boyfriends. I smirk at how weird _that_ sounds.

"So…" Zatanna drags the word out. "You two are boyfriends?" I detect an edge to her voice and I almost feel bad for her. She was in denial all this time, even when M'gann and I showed her all our proof. She somehow had it in her head that she could still woo Robin.

Robin… or Richard… or Dick, whatever his name is, gets this evil smirk on his face instead of answering, which startles us.

"I think… you guys interrupted us earlier, so if you don't mind, we'll just be getting back to that," he practically purrs. Wally lets out a high-pitched squeak as Robin flies at him, shoving him against the wall as his mouth captures his lips. I feel Zatanna tense next to me, and she lets out a sad sigh. I give her a quick hug to console her.

Wally pushes at Robin's shoulders and finally frees his lips.

"Dick? They're all _right there_…" he murmurs, his face flushed red to the tips of his ears as he shoots us a worried look.

"So?" Dick deadpans, and clashes lips with him again. The rest of the team awkwardly turns away. As hot as it is to see the two of them making out against the wall, I can feel myself start to drool and I don't want to have the rest of the team witness that. From the look of M'gann's face, I'm not the only one. We all trail silently after Kaldur.

"Batman to Team. Is everything under control? I was told you would be heading back to the Mountain ten minutes ago, but I see you are still in Gotham City." The Dark Knight's voice comes through all our comm links. We exchange a few terrified glances. What are we supposed to say? Yeah, we just ran into Richard Grayson, and now we know Robin's secret identity, so please don't kill us? Everyone knows how strict Batman is about keeping their secret identities just that: secret. He might not even know that Wally knows, although that's hard to believe. Batman knows _everything. _This realization just makes us all the more terrified.

"Everything's fine, Bats. Superboy and Zatanna just joined us so we were explaining to them what happened," Robin's voice cuts smoothly across our panic. We all look at each other. Robin wasn't even supposed to be on the team…

"Robin." Just in that one word our hearts sink to our stomachs. Oh, we're in deep shit now.

"Hey, I was just patrolling. Seeing the Gotham Academy up in sky-high flames kind of caught my attention," Robin answers without a hitch. There is long pause on the other end of the line and we all hold our breaths.

"I will expect a full mission report from each of you by tonight. Batman out." The comm links click and we all let out a collective sigh. We're in the safe for now, it seems. The door to the bioship opens and Robin and Kid Flash walk in holding hands. I slump back in my seat. I could _really_ use a cup of coffee and a comfy bed right now; this has been a trying day on so many levels.

**:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~**

**Author's note: **Phew, that's finally done XD I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Please tell me what you think! And I've decided this _won't_ be the last one. The next one will be the same thing but from Wally's point of view… because I feel like writing more Wally and slash time. Plus, there's stuff that happened between them that Artemis didn't pick up so I wanted to show that. And maybe I'll have one more chapter after that, as a sort of epilogue and tying it back to the prologue. Anyway. Thanks for reading!

I just wanted to say, I'm open for requests as well. So if you have a prompt you'd like me to do a little one-shot of, I'd love that XD


	4. Chapter 3: Secret Identities Wally POV

**Care to Explain? - Chapter 3. **

**Author's Note: **This is a companion chapter to the last one. It's the same events that take place, except written from Wally's point of view rather than Artemis's. Why? Because I wanted to write more slash and Wally is really fun to write about XD If you don't want to read it, then don't: You won't really miss anything plot-wise. Hope you enjoy! And sorry for the long update…

Once again, thank you for all the reviews and faves and alerts! It really means a lot, honestly. I'm glad you guys like my work! ^^

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Young Justice, I wouldn't be writing a _fanfiction_ of it, it would just happen for real in the show… XD I only own the plot, and the mistakes.

Don't forget to review!

* * *

_{Gotham City, _

_October 3__rd__, 15:00 EDT}_

I pull an unresisting Dick Grayson into the shadows, away from the brightly lit courtyard of Gotham Academy. I glance over my shoulder, watching as M'gann flies up into the air and heads over to where she had hidden the bioship, as Kaldur heads in the opposite direction to intercept the police cars driving up on the curb, and as Artemis approaches the crowd of high-school students. I smirk. Vaguely, I remember Kaldur telling me to go help her, but there's no way I'm doing that. Besides, Dick counts as a civilian, right? So I'm not technically going against his orders.

"So, what's up with dragging me into a dark alley when no one's looking?" Dick asks me, a lopsided smirk on his face. "Dick Grayson should be afraid of getting kidnapped."

"Maybe Kid Flash _should_ kidnap him. Who knows what he could do to him before a pissed off Bruce Wayne arrives," I reply, wriggling my eyebrows at him suggestively, and slapping his butt playfully.

"Make that a pissed off _Batman_ who will castrate you in three seconds flat," Dick shoots back and I laugh. We start to walk aimlessly side-by-side, hugging the shadows below the wall. There's no one to see us, so I drape my arm over his shoulder, sighing when he glances surreptitiously around. That kid is way too paranoid for his own good. Although, I guess living in Gotham does that to you.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I ask him, listening to the slight wheeze in his breath.

"Shouldn't_ I_ be the one asking _you_ that? You're the one who had your back shredded open on my account."

"I'm fine, honestly," I assure him, twisting around to inspect the damage. My costume is ripped up and bloodstained, but the raw scape on my back already looks half-healed. It just smarts a bit each time I move, but the agonizingly-burning sensation is all but gone. I suddenly feel some cool fingers brushing across my skin and I look up to see Dick peeling the tattered edges of my yellow costume back. He bites his lip, and stares at his fingers as they get my blood on them. I turn around then and grab his hands, wiping them off on my tights.

"Hey, it's okay. That's just some old blood. It's all healing, alright?" I tell him, touching his face to make him look up at me again. His eyes look haunted; a dark shadow in them that is very out of place in his usual countenance. "Super-fast healing, remember?" I say quickly, forcing a grin. He nods slowly and turns away. My hand drops back to my side as I look at his dejected face.

"Dickie? Come on, you've seen worse," I say tactlessly, and immediately bite my lip. That didn't come out right at all. He's seen much worse, that's true. And I shouldn't be reminding him of that. Besides, his parents' death is probably exactly what he's thinking about right now. His eyes focus on mine again and he seems to shake off whatever was haunting him. He wipes his hands absentmindedly on his pants.

"If you say so," he murmurs, then turns and continues ambling along, following the side of the wall. I speed up to catch up with him, and bend down to give him a peck on the cheek. He blushes faintly and looks up at me, the blue eyes having regained their luster.

We walk in companionable silence. I'm not sure where we're going, or if we're even _going _anywhere, but I don't care. All that matters is that Dick is padding softly next to me, and he's alive and well.

"So… Artemis goes to your school. What's up with that?" I say, voicing that which has been bugging me for the last fifteen minutes. Dick chuckles softly.

"I was wondering when you were going to bring that up," he smirks.

"Well, you know me all too well." I punch him lightly in the shoulder. "But why Gotham Academy? I mean… she doesn't strike me as, well, you know…" I trail off. _She doesn't strike me as Gotham Academy material, _I want to say. I mean, there's a reason why Dick Grayson_, _son of _billionaire_ Bruce Wayne, goes to this school.

"Let's just say… she got a scholarship from the Wayne Foundation a couple months ago?" Dick says cheekily. I roll my eyes.

"Oh so _you're _behind it. I should have guessed." Dick just grins.

"Don't even ask why she's here and not in Star City," he says, interrupting my next question before I even have a chance to pose it. "There's something about her that Batman doesn't want the team, including me, to know. I won't pry. I know for sure she's not really Ollie's niece, but other than that I'm in the dark." He shrugs. "We should all just wait till she's ready to tell us whatever else there is to know. I'll respect her privacy in this case..." I look at him in surprise. Usually, he can't stand not knowing something about someone else. I mean, the one time I tried to hide from him what my favorite food was, he hacked into my laptop, Aunt Iris's laptop, and Batman's security footage from the last two years of me just to find out. Needless to say, he ended up figuring it out. I guess he must feel some connection to Artemis, having to hide his identity from the rest of the team as well, even though it's not quite the same.

"And… I probably sound like a hypocrite because I'm the one that let her secret slip in the first place. Oops. Well, I couldn't resist." He cackles, and I shake my head fondly.

Dick leads us into an alley between the side of the school and the gym. I blink at him curiously as he slips from out of my hand, leaving me trailing behind in confusion. I must have made some kind of sound because he turns then, his white teeth flashing in the near-darkness.

"I'm going to get my Robin costume," he explains himself, waving towards a barely distinguishable door on the side of the gym. "I always leave a spare in the locker rooms in case something like… like this happens." The pointing movement of his arm makes him hiss suddenly in pain, and I am at his side in an instant.

"What's wrong?" I gasp, seeing him clutch at his shoulder instinctively. He tries to push me away, insisting that he is fine, but I have him half out of his blazer and am unbuttoning his shirt before he even got to the third word.

"Dude, I didn't know you were _this _eager to jump me," he laughs, and I have to force myself not to roll my eyes. I suddenly realize that I've got him pinned up against the wall, in a dark alley no less where no one is going to find us, and I'm unbuttoning his shirt. I grin to myself and press a chaste kiss to his lips, although it's very hard to keep it just that; chaste.

I tug at his collar, exposing his neck and shoulder, as well as the reason for his wince. There's a dark burn grazing his shoulder, the skin red and swollen, and obviously sensitive to the touch. Upon inspecting his clothes further, I realize there's a hole right through his blazer and shirt where a chunk of burning metal must have flown at him.

"I thought you said you were okay!" I exclaim, trying hard to keep my voice from cracking. Dick rolls his eyes with the most exaggeration I have seen from him yet, which is saying something.

"Wally. It's a _little_ _burn." _He enunciates the words carefully, as if I'm a toddler. "I've gotten worse just helping Alfred in the kitchen," he adds, tugging the shirt over his shoulder again in irritation. I barely hear him, though. I'm still thinking about how I almost lost him, for goodness sakes! If I had just been a mere second too late, he would have smashed onto the pavement and died, I was sure of it. Just like his parents, the last of the Graysons. Or if I hadn't come up with that plan on the spur of the moment, the robot could have shot him right through the head like he threatened to do and that would be the end of him. That stupid piece of metal that hit his shoulder could have hit his forehead and knocked him out. I feel my fingers start to vibrate. He could have _died._

"Crap, Dick, don't ever do that to me again," I whisper, trying to still the vibrations in my fingers. I look up and meet his eyes, watching as surprise flits over his beautiful face. And then my lips are on his and I forget about everything else.

My kiss starts out desperate. I shove him rather roughly, (I'm horrified to admit), back into the wall and pin him down with my hands on his waist. I attack his mouth, all my fear and pain and worry flooding out of me before I can stop it. I squeeze my eyes shut and lose myself in the wonderful feeling of his lips meeting mine again and again.

Gradually, the kiss turns sweeter. I get my trembling emotions under control again and take a step back, aware that I was currently forcing him to become one with the brick wall. We break contact, and I rest my forehead against his, our eyes just staring into each other's. Neither of us say anything; there's nothing that words can express as easily as the emotions visible in our eyes. We silently confess our mutual fear that we thought we wouldn't see each other again, that desperate fear of losing the one person we love more than anything. Because, that's what this is. Sure, we may be young, but I sure as hell know that I love Dick Grayson, that I love Robin. If anything, this experience has proved it the most for me.

I stroke his cheek, rubbing my thumb over his smooth skin. He smiles at me, and loops his arms around my neck to bring our faces together again. And this time the kiss is breath-taking, passionate, fiery… We're just glad that we're together again, and that everything is alright. We've realized that we _didn't _die, and that's the most important thing. My hands find his hips again, and we stumble back into the wall, my body molding to his. He bites down on my lip and I moan, feeling him grin against my mouth. I love when he does that. I open my mouth to accept his tongue, but the little tease pulls away and winks at me. I let out an unintelligible sound of frustration which quickly turns into a moan as he nips at my neck. I throw my head back, letting him have access as he trails alternatively sloppy kisses and little bites down my neck and to my collarbone that make me shudder. I don't know when he took my cowl off, but obviously it's not there anymore, and I couldn't care less.

While he occupies himself with my neck, I decide to let my fingers roam over his body, slipping under his half-unbuttoned shirt to ghost over his perfect skin. My legs tangle with his, and before I know it, even my knee is pressed into his crotch. He lets out a gasp that may or may not have had to do with the fact that I was most definitively _vibrating_ by now. The kiss on my jaw slackens for a moment, and I can feel him shivering. I lean down and capture his lips again, missing the contact for far too long. Just before I assault him again, his eyes seem to focus on something behind me, and surprise etches itself on his face. I'm far too carried away to let that stop me, though.

That is, until I hear M'gann voice behind me. I fly away from Dick, staring is utter shock at the two girls that are staring right back at us with matching expressions. I can feel the blood pounding in my ears as it rushes to my face. _Oh crap. _How long have they been here?

"What's this?" Artemis growls quietly, the shock on her features turning all at once to anger as she glances from me to Dick and back. What am I supposed to say? As far as any of them know, I'm as straight as a lamp-post, and always have been. They don't know about Robin and I… well, Dick and I either. And, to say the truth, Artemis's murderous expression is really starting to scare me. I lick my lips nervously, still tasting Dick on them.

"Care to explain why the hell you are making out with _Richard Grayson_?" she continues, still in that extremely slow and creepy way. I wince as she jabs a finger into my chest. I never wanted to come out to them like _this! _Honestly, Artemis was the only one I ever had any worries about. If Connor or M'gann found out I was bi, I was sure they wouldn't mind. Connor has never been exposed to prejudices, racism, or homophobia, and M'gann isn't even from Earth. Besides, she's naïve and accepting of virtually everything. Kaldur told us once that sexuality wasn't an issue in Atlantis. (Don't ask me where that popped up in the conversation; I think we were trying to explain to Connor why there was a gay couple on a TV show.) Zatanna also joined in with that conversation, though she seemed rather neutral with the idea. But Artemis… I just didn't know. It never came up in any conversations I had with her, or that Rob had with her, so I have no idea what she thinks. Out of all the members of the team, it was her possible reaction that worried me the worst.

And judging by the way she's glaring at me, this was not going over well with her.

"What's it to you?" I say finally. I have to say something… and there's no way I can easily explain myself, so I come back with a question.

"_What's it to me_?" she practically screeches. "Start talking. What do you think you're doing with Grayson?" She jabs a finger into my chest again and I growl. She seriously needs to cut her nails, because that _hurts. _I swat her finger away angrily; furious at her for ruining everything and for dumping me in this mess I'm floundering unceremoniously in.

"Sheesh, Artemis! I never knew you were such a homophobe," I retort, my gaze as scorching as I can make it. But she does the unthinkable; first she looks completely thrown off and then she barks out a laugh. Huh? I watch in confusion as she composes herself.

"What? That—no, I don't care about _that!_" Well, then what the hell _is_ her problem? I tell her just that, crossing my arms in defiance. I swear, she's going mental.

"Let me rephrase: Care to explain why the hell you are making out with Richard Grayson the minute _Robin's _back is turned?" I can't stop my eyes from flying wide open is disbelief. _What? _What's that supposed to mean? She can't… No one… I stare at Dick in helplessness. Crap. I guess we weren't as subtle as I thought. Well, what the hell and I supposed to say now?

Dick looks at me innocently, and opens his mouth to speak: "Who's Robin?" Okay… What. The. Bloody. Hell… Is he playing at? Is he _trying _to make my life harder than it already is? Yeah, most definitively. He's Robin, after all. I decide to put on the 'I-have-no-idea-what-you're-talking-about' act.

"W-what does Robin have anything to do with anything?" I stutter. I narrow my eyes, seeing her check Dick out. Nu-uh. That boy is _mine. _

"Oh don't you give me that innocent crap," she snaps, turning back to me. "We all know about you two, right M'gann? It's no secret: you and Robin are _together._ So, now I'll say it one more time: Why the hell are you making ou—"

"Shut _up, _Artemis!" I cut her off. I swear if she says that one more time I'm going to punch her. How dare she insult me like this! Even though she doesn't know, but still… God, she just doesn't understand. "You realize he almost got killed right? What kind of a boyfriend would I be, if I didn't make sure he was okay?"

I barely have time to register her shocked expression before I realize what I said. Oh crap. I just dug myself in deeper, didn't I?

"Boyfriend?" they repeat. Great, even M'gann is joining in now. I turn and feel like punching the wall.

"_Diiick_, a little help here," I mumble, shooting him a look. He's covering his mouth with his hands to stifle his giggles, seeing as both M'gann and Artemis have their backs to him. I send him my version of the bat-glare, which is probably pretty ineffective. You horrible boyfriend, you. I only half listen as Artemis walks up to him and informs him that I've been cheating on his superhero identity with his civilian one. Suddenly, I can understand why he's trying so hard not to laugh. I sigh. If only I wasn't on the receiving end, this sure would be pretty hilarious.

"Wally, why would you do that? Why would you cheat on Robin?" M'gann has walked up to me, and her head is tilted to the side. Her eyes look hurt and ashamed of me. Not angry, like Artemis's, but just sad and disappointed. In a way, that's even harder to deal with. I avoid her eyes, looking the picture of guilt.

"Or cheat on Grayson, whichever came first," Artemis just _has_ to add. That comment seems to be the last straw for Dick, because suddenly he collapses in a fit of unrestrained laughter. I feel a smile appear on my face as I watch him clutching the wall for support.

"Okay… okay that's it," he gasps out, still laughing. "You guys…" I fail to suppress the chuckle that rises up in my throat at the look on his face. I walk over to him quickly, because he looks like he's 'bout ready to collapse in his fits of laughter. I kiss his nose at superspeed, just so Artemis and M'gann don't see. Because, he really is adorable right now.

"Why is he laughing? In all the shows… when someone finds out their boyfriend cheated on them they get angry or start crying, they don't start laughing…" I hear M'gann's obviously concerned voice.

"Um… are we missing something here?" Artemis questions, unsure of herself for once. I am laughing so hard by now, along with Dick, that I barely even notice when Kaldur joins us, his eyebrow raised in confusion at the scene.

Suddenly the ground shakes as Superboy seems to drop from the sky in one of his bounds, carrying Zatanna. I almost choke on my laughs.

"Good, my locator spell worked! Put me down, please, Superboy," the black-haired girl snickers.

"Great… now they're _all _here. Dick, seriously?" I whine, looking down at the ebony still cackling in my arms. Could things get any worse? Now I have to explain myself to the _entire _team.

"We caught Wally kissing Richard Grayson, and he called him his boyfriend, which means he's cheating on Robin. When we asked him about it… _that_ happened," M'gann explains to the newcomers, her confusion evident. Dick finally stops laughing, and he turns to the team. I'm worried by the dangerous smirk on his face.

"Well… how about I go get what I was trying to get before Wally pinned me to the wall," he declares, starting to walk down the alleyway. "That might clear some things up." I blink. No-no-no-no he can't possibly be doing what I think he's doing! I remember what he said when we first came over here; he has his Robin suit in the locker room. I grab instinctively at his arm, lowering my mouth to his ear.

"Dick, you can't! Batman will kill us!" I whisper, not even trying to mask the fear in my voice. He can't tell the team who he is. It's my entire fault! We'll both be in so much trouble! He can't.

"Don't worry, Walls. What he doesn't know can't hurt him," Dick whispers back swiftly, twisting out of my grasp. I'm not convinced, but I let him go. Batman is Batman. He knows _everything. _Or, he _will _know everything sooner or later.

Dick disappears behind the door into the gym. I tune back in to the team's conversation, just in time to hear Superboy about to repeat our whispered conversation. Damn his superhearing! I fly at him, smacking a hand over his lips. I don't exactly know what that is going to prove, because Robin is going to come out of that door any minute now and the cat will be out of the bag, but I can't help hoping that Dick will change his mind half-way through. Connor punches me in the gut, apparently not at all pleased with me shoving his overheard words back into his throat, and I scramble backwards at a lack of air.

Despite my wheezing, I hear the soft steps on the pavement before the rest of them (except Superboy) and turn to see… Robin. Nope, he didn't change his mind. I glance quickly from him to the team, judging their reactions. Suddenly, I can't stop the laughter bubbling up in me either. God, the looks on their faces.

"Dude, take a picture. That is the most hilarious thing I have ever seen," I say, pointing through my gasps of laughter at the team. Artemis is staring at Dick, her mouth literally gaping. M'gann's eyes are as round as saucers. Superboy is frowning, his face a perfect mask of confusion. Zatanna's hand flies to her mouth, presumably to halt her gasp of surprise. And Kaldur, even Kaldur, is staring at Rob in undisguised shock.

"Oh my gosh…" breathes Zatanna.

"Robin? How... what…?" M'gann.

"Well… that does explain a lot." Kaldur.

"Um, am I supposed to know who Richard Grayson is?" Connor.

"Crap." Artemis.

Dick and I crack up again, clutching at each other's arms. I don't care about the consequences anymore. Right now, I want to get back at Artemis. Grinning mischievously, I stalk up to her and jab her in the chest like she did to me earlier.

"Is _this _explanation enough for you? I wouldn't ever cheat on Robin, or Dick," I tell her. I'm laughing, but I'm sincere, and I hope she realizes that. I'm not the complete manwhore that everything thinks I am. She blinks at me, her ears turning red and she looks down at the ground. I huff and turn away from her.

"So…" Zatanna drags the word out. "You two are boyfriends?" _As if that's not obvious…_ She's watching Dick with an expression I'm finding hard to place. Almost… regretful. I smirk, repeating the thought I had previously had. Nu-uh. That boy is _mine_. Mine, mine, mine, all mine. And no blonde archer or jealous magician is going to take him away from me.

I open my mouth to reply, but Dick cuts me off.

"I think… you guys interrupted us earlier, so if you don't mind, we'll just be getting back to that." Okay, what the fuck just happened to his voice… I swear it dropped an octave and… it sounded so… sexy. All thoughts fly out of my head as suddenly the little ninja attacks me, slamming me into the wall. I think I may have uttered some embarrassing squeal of surprise, and I desperately hope no one heard it. Judging by the maniacal smirk of Robin's lips, _someone _did. I stiffen, refusing to let myself succumb to the intoxicating feeling of Robin, and manage to push him away by the shoulders. He pouts in this adorable way that makes me want to snuggle him, but I stop myself.

"Dick? They're all _right there_…" I murmur, glancing over his shoulder to the team's still frozen reactions.

"So?" I barely have time to register what he said before he clashes lips with me again. And this time, I can't stop the moan that comes out of my mouth. Oh well. The team can stay and watch, I really couldn't care less. I run my hands down his sides and grip his sharp hipbones, yanking him towards me as we deepen the kiss. I don't even notice the team leave.

It's funny to see how Robin and Dick act differently. When he's Dick, he's so much more submissive. He lets me direct what we do, turning into that lovely mush that I can play around with, despite the undercurrent of steel. But when he's Robin, it's always _me _that's shoved into the wall getting all but molested. I laugh as his fingers tickle my stomach. I have to admit, that's just one more thing I love about him. He's got two different personalities, but I love them both equally.

Dick leaves my mouth and bites on my earlobe, and I gasp to which he chuckles. Suddenly my comm link buzzes, and I flinch. Robin freezes on me, listening in to the incoming call.

"_Batman to Team. Is everything under control? I was told you would be heading back to the Mountain ten minutes ago, but I see you are still in Gotham City."_ I gulp. Uh-oh… Robin flicks a finger up to his own comm link, turning it on. I open my mouth to say something, but Dick lays a slender finger on my lips. I try to protest- he can't reply to Batman! He's not even supposed to be on this team! This could blow everything.

"Everything's fine, Bats. Superboy and Zatanna just joined us so we were explaining to them what happened," he rattles off smoothly, looking me in the eyes. He's warning me not to say a word. I hope the rest of the team understands the silent command as well… As it is, they are probably shocked by the sound of Rob's voice on the other end of the line.

"_Robin._" It's a statement, not a question. A statement, needing an explanation. Even that much I can tell from the expressionless way Batman says my boyfriend's name. I sure hope Dick knows what he's doing.

"Hey, I was just patrolling. Seeing the Gotham Academy up in sky-high flames kind of caught my attention," Robin answers without a hitch. Even though I know he's lying, _I_ could be fooled. His voice is even, with just the perfect amount of snappiness because his mentor doesn't believe him. And considering we were passionately making out a few seconds ago, and that he just gave away his secret identity to the team, I'm quite awed. We stand in silence as the interminable seconds drag by, waiting for the Dark Knight's response.

"_I will expect a full mission report from each of you by tonight. Batman out._" The comm links click and we all let out a collective sigh. I nervously grab Robin's hand and lead the way back to the bioship where the rest of the team is waiting. Robin squeezes my fingers and smiles softly.

"Don't worry about that now, Kid. I'll deal with him." He leans up on his toes and kisses me, and I nod. We head into the bioship, plopping down next to each other in the two empty seats as M'gann telepathically turns the ship's nose towards Happy Harbor.

"Hey Supey," Robin states, an evil grin on his masked face. He raises an eyebrow provocatively. "You liked watching us back there, didn't you?" The clone blushes furiously and shifts uncomfortably in his seat. We all laugh, instantly lightening the mood.

**:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~**

* * *

**Author's Note: ** *cough* Supey got a boner watching Dick and Wally make out and Robin, being Robin, noticed; sorry the last paragraph isn't clear XD I apologize for taking so long to update, it's been a rather busy time lately. There will be one more chapter after this, and then this story will be finished. Hope you liked it!

Review please! I'd like to know what you think. And, as always, I'm open to requests. So if you have a prompt you'd like me to do, just send me a message and I'll make you a one-shot.

**READ THIS PLEASE:**

I will be gone on vacation from Tuesday (26th of June) till Sunday (1st of July). I'll be with my bestie in Canada at her farm, and I'm really excited for it, but there's no internet. So, for the next week, you'll get no updates from me. Sorry! Don't worry though, I'm taking my laptop and I'll have plenty of time to write. I've got lots of ideas for these two XD


	5. Epilogue

**Care to Explain? - Epilogue.**

**Author's Note: ** So, here's the epilogue. We're back to Artemis's point of view, just in case you're wondering. This is kind of a tie back to the first chapter. Anyway, enjoy! And pardon for the long wait…

Note: Pay attention to the dates in this one, it'll help you understand the context.

**Disclaimer: **Nope, still don't own anything other than the plot. If I did, there wouldn't be a flippin' hiatus over the summer…

* * *

**~x~**

_{Mount Justice, _

_October 24__th__}_

Well, what do you know? I was right. Not that I ever doubted it, but still. Robin and Kid Flash are _together. _And now, thanks to my bitching at KF and making Robin reveal his secret identity, the whole team knows. This also means they don't need to hide their relationship. Conclusion? M'gann and I get to walk in on the two of them making out in the bathroom or cuddling on the couch, and then run off fangirl screaming.

Plus, I am now twenty dollars richer, and Roy is twenty dollars poorer. I get to rub it in his face every time he comes over and sees the two lovebirds, to my immense satisfaction.

Hmm, good times. 'Course, everything isn't all perfect. Actually, it's far from that; a whole bunch of my secrets are now blown. First of all, Bette wasn't the only one at school who recognized me. A few of my other friends did too. At least they had the decency not to declare it to the whole world, and I managed to threaten them all into silence. Seeing as they all saw my pretty incredible aim during the battle, that wasn't too hard.

It's not just my friends at school, though. Now Kid Flash keeps giving me these weird looks every time the names 'Star City', 'Gotham Academy' or 'Green Arrow' come up. I know the whole team is itching to know why I lied to them when I first came here, but I just don't know if I can tell them. I'm… I'm afraid. I don't want them to think of me differently once they know my parentage. I know that's probably just bull, but still. I can't help but worry. I'll _probably_ tell them one day… Probably being the key word.

Then, there is of course the fact that the whole team is now living in various states of fear. Batman still doesn't know everything that happened during that mission three weeks ago, but we are all sure that is going to change. Batman figures out _everything. _He's the world's greatest detective, after all. I'm afraid one of us is going to let something slip.

What none of us guessed was that it would be _Robin _who'd let it slip.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

_{Mount Justice, _

_October 24__th__, 16:00 EDT}_

The team is relaxing in the Mount Justice living room. It's Friday afternoon, and supposedly 'team bonding time'. Aka, Friday night off. The zeta tubes announce Batman and Black Canary's departures, and Red Tornado retires to his room on the second floor. We've got the place to ourselves.

"So… movie night?" Robin suggests. He's standing hands-on-hips in front of the TV screen, eyebrows raised in question.

"Hell yeah!" exclaims Wally, speeding into his room to grab a handful of DVDs without even waiting for our responses. It's pretty unanimous anyway- we're all tired after the last week and need to recuperate. We pick a nice mindless comedy, and the team's hacker has it set up in no time.

"Rob? Take your sunglasses off," Wally announces, out of the blue. Robin turns around and looks at him with a quirked eyebrow. I look up from the magazine I was flipping through and watch them both curiously.

"You know I can't," he replies quietly.

"Why not!" Wally shoots up out of his seat indignantly. "We all know who you are, there's nothing left to hide," he points out. "And Bats is back in Gotham. We're the only ones that are going to see you." Robin sweeps his glance over the lot of us. None of us have brought up that mission since Robin swore us to secrecy, meaning we've never called him 'Dick' or seen his bare eyes since. He hesitates, glancing back at Wally.

"I guess… I guess just tonight won't hurt," he mumbles, pulling Wally (who was grinning like a preschooler that just got a bag full of candy) back down onto the couch, and swiping his glasses off in the same motion. The rest of us try to look everywhere but at Dick. It's true; he really does look different without glasses on. I mean, I see him every other day at school, but that's just not the same. There he's always in his uniform with gelled back hair and a snobby attitude. Here he's just… well, Robin without a mask.

And so began our new routine of Friday movie nights where Robin became 'Dick' for two hours. It wasn't long before we wouldn't even notice whether he had the glasses on or not. Dark blue eyes became as normal a sight as shades or a mask.

I guess even Robin became careless after a while. He was so used to being himself around us now; he forgot that he always had to be on edge.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

_{Mount Justice,_

_November 20__th__, 19:16 EDT}_

'_Recognized: Batman 0-2.'_

The zeta-tube's monotone voice sounds over the speakers, and I look up in surprise. Batman had left three hours ago, and it is a Friday night. He shouldn't be coming back. Robin slides out of Wally's arms and presses a button on the remote, pausing the movie.

"My apologies for interrupting your team bonding night," the Caped Crusader states, approaching us with quiet steps. "We have gotten a rather important piece of information regarding another of Cadmus's facilities. You will be sent out to investigate, as well as determine whether the rumor that the project is being moved to a higher security campus tonight is correct or not. I expect—" Batman cuts off abruptly, eyes narrowing suddenly under his cowl.

"Robin." He says it in a sharp way that makes all our hearts sink to our stomachs. I turn slowly, looking over at the black-haired boy. He is in the process of hastily sliding on his dark sunglasses, but the damage has been done. An uncomfortable silence descends on us all as the Batman and his ward eye each other with matching bat-glares. The temperature in the room drops by at least five degrees.

"Robin will come with me. The rest of you, I'll be sending you the coordinates. Get dressed," he finishes curtly, turning with a swish of his cape and heading back for the zeta-beams. He doesn't even look back at Robin, knowing he has no choice but to follow. I bite my lip, still staring at the boy. His fists are clenched, and his eyebrows are in a tight frown-line. Wally is vibrating in place next to me, fear for his boyfriend obvious in his eyes. Robin lets out a little breath, gives us all a quick nod which does nothing to reassure us, and then follows his mentor. We are all at a lack of what to say.

**~x~**

The mission was a failure. We let ourselves be seen, we ended up blowing up half the building trying to escape unscathed, and we didn't learn anything new. It was no surprise really; we weren't working as a team. Wally wasn't listening to any commands whatsoever, Kaldur was distracted, and the rest of us weren't nearly focused enough. Besides, we needed a certain hacker to find out anything from the triple-encrypted files in the main computer, supposing we'd even gotten that far.

"It's all my fault!" Wally blurts out suddenly as we fly back to Happy Harbor in the Bioship, battered and glum. He is tugging angrily at his fiery hair. I wonder whether he's talking about the Robin fiasco or the recent mission. "I'm the one that forced him to take his sunglasses off in the first place, that one night!" he continues. "If I'd just kept my mouth shut we'd never be in this mess…"

"I'm sure he's fine," M'gann tries to reassure him. It sounds like she's trying to reassure herself as much as the rest of us. "He'll just have told Batman everything from the beginning, which I'm sure he'll understand."

"No, he won't," glowers the speedster. "Batman doesn't know about _us. _He never knew we were together. Rob can't explain anything without explaining other things and… oh God. Bats is going to kill him. And me. And probably the rest of you all too." He leans his head in defeat against the wall. I exchange a look with M'gann. Once again, none of know what to say.

**~x~**

We make our way slowly into the debriefing room, with dragging feet. Not only do we have to now listen to the League chewing us out for failing the mission, but we will find out what Robin has said and what our verdict is. Batman is nowhere to be seen when we arrive, and neither is Robin. Instead, the Flash gives us consoling pats on the back and makes a feeble attempt at Batman's 'you failed and I'm disappointed' speech to which he had been apparently assigned. He then leaves us alone as soon as possible.

"Where's Robin?" asks Wally, futilely, seeing as none of us know any more than he does.

"I'm here," comes a voice from behind us, and we all spin around. The Boy Wonder moves from the shadows to stand before us. Wally flies at him, ready to envelop him in a hug, but stops himself in time. He looks around fearfully, while Robin laughs.

"Don't worry guys," he says, his typical smirk back on his face. I brighten. Does that mean…? "Batman isn't here." Wally takes that as invitation to suffocate him in a hug.

"So? What happened?" I prod, voicing my still nervous thoughts. Robin sure is looking sunny, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. I think he has a bit of a sadistic streak in him… As answer to my question, Robin drags Wally down into a kiss.

"Bruce gives us his, uh, blessings," Dick says to Wally first. Turning to us, he sends us a wink. "And he's letting you all off the hook seeing as you didn't have a choice in the matter. But, he warns that if you ever breathe a word about my identity, you will be in danger of your lives, simply put." We all nod quickly, relief blooming through us. Robin then pushes Wally away till they are a foot apart, an irritated frown appearing on his face again. I should have known there would be a catch. "Of course, he's decided to punish you and me, because it _is_ our fault after all." Robin continues. He jabs a finger at Wally. "Mostly yours, but whatever." The speedster blanched.

"Well? What is it?"

"You're not allowed to touch me until the Christmas holidays, and vice versa."

"_What! _You mean… you mean that was my last kiss for a _whole_ _month_, and you didn't even tell me!" Wally cries, looking like he's about to pass out. I hide my smile behind my hand.

**~x~Fin~x~**

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sorry, I'm really bad at endings… Hope you liked it all the same. Please leave a review to tell me what you thought! I had a lot of fun writing this. And before you say anything, I won't be writing a sequel to this, sorry. If you want more birdflash, just look at my other fics XD

And, as always, I'm still open to requests so send me a PM :)

Don't forget to check out the poll on my profile too…


End file.
